“The willingness of America’s veterans to sacrifice for our country has earned them our lasting gratitude.” —Jeff Miller

Your Local Florist give heartfelt thanks to all of America’s Veterans who have sacrificed for our country.

Placing flowers on the gravesite of a loved one is a beautiful act of remembering and celebrating those who are no longer with us. The tradition of flowers being placed on graves is over 2,000 years old. This custom can be traced to the ancient Greeks. Memorial Day is a favorite time for individuals to visit family cemetery plots to place flowers. This federal holiday was formalized as a way of remembering and mourning members of the U.S. military who died in service, and people often mark the occasion by visiting cemeteries and decorating headstones of fallen soldiers with flags and wreaths.

But, what does each kind of flower symbolize? Though meanings can vary, some are well known: a red rose represents love, respect, or courage; a yellow rose confers friendship, a lily stands for innocence, purity, or majesty; a forget-me-not signifies memories; and a poppy means eternal sleep. However, other flowers also bear important meanings, as well: a gladiolus represents strength, character, or integrity; a stock signifies lasting beauty; chrysanthemums and white daisies symbolize truth; and a nasturtium stands for patriotism.